Faculty and Staff

Keeve Nachman, PhD, MHS – Principal Investigator (faculty | ORCID | Google Scholar | twitter | LinkedIn) – Keeve is the Robert S. Lawrence Associate Professor of Environmental Health and Engineering at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. He is also the Associate Director of the Johns Hopkins Center for a Livable Future and Co-Director of the Johns Hopkins Risk Sciences and Public Policy Institute. Keeve’s research involves the application of the risk and exposure sciences to any array of topics, often in the context of food production. Examples of his current research projects are the development of better methods for estimating soil and dust exposure in children, using computational toxicological tools to prioritize novel contaminants in biosolids, understanding the role of transit in the transmission of COVID-19 and other infectious diseases, evaluating the role of policy in reducing the contribution of animal agriculture to antibiotic resistance, understanding the role of urban food systems in lead and other metals exposures, and many others. Keeve’s research is funded by federal agencies (EPA, NIH, USDA) and foundations/philanthropies. Outside of work, Keeve likes cycling, weird music, and dad jokes.

Brent Kim, MPH – Senior Program Officer (ORCID | twitter) – Brent’s research spans food systems challenges from farm to fork, with published works on sustainable diets, industrial food animal production, food and agricultural policy, soil safety, urban food systems, and climate change. His work has been featured in Popular Science, The Guardian, The Huffington Post, NPR, and Newsweek. Brent earned his Master’s in Global Disease Epidemiology and Control from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. A former computer scientist, digital artist, and high school educator, Brent is equally at home developing quantitative models in Python and illustrating figures for scientific manuscripts, and he has never lost his love of teaching and visual communication.

Sara Lupolt, PhD, MPH – Assistant Scientist (faculty | ORCID | Google Scholar | twitter | LinkedIn)- As an exposure scientist, Sara’s research seeks to bring a critical and constructive eye to improve the art and practice of exposure assessment to tackle a wide variety of wicked environmental health and food system challenges. Her dissertation and postdoctoral research focus on developing innovative methods for estimating exposure to soil among agricultural workers (dissertation) and children (postdoctoral). Sara completed her doctoral training in the Department of Environmental Health and Engineering at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health (2021) and was a CLF-Lerner Fellow at the Center for a Livable Future. Sara earned her MPH in Environmental Health Science and Policy at the George Washington University Milken Institute School of Public Health and her BA in Government and Environmental Studies from Franklin & Marshall College. When she’s not doing research, she enjoys exploring national parks and trying new foods and recipes.

Trainees

Hannah Holsinger, MPH – DrPH Candidate (ORCID) – Hannah is a DrPH Candidate in the Department of Environmental Health and Engineering at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. The aim of her dissertation is to understand the impact of drinking water system characteristics on the occurrence of disinfectant byproducts in blood and tap water. Hannah received her bachelor’s degree in biology and food science from Virginia Tech and her MPH in Environmental Health from the University of Kentucky. Hannah is currently a branch chief at the US Environmental Protection Agency in the Office of Ground Water and Drinking Water. In her free time she enjoys spending time outdoors, traveling, and visiting with friends and family.

Andrea Chiger, MPH – PhD Candidate – (ORCID) Andrea Chiger, MPH, is a fourth-year PhD candidate in the Exposure Sciences and Environmental Epidemiology track of the Department of Environmental Health & Engineering. Her dissertation aims to assess the effects of simultaneous exposures to multiple metals and psychosocial stressors on cardiovascular health. She is committed to developing and promoting cumulative risk assessment methods to help achieve environmental justice. Andrea has a BA in Neuroscience and Behavior from Vassar College and an MPH in Environmental Health from Boston University. Prior to coming to Hopkins, she was a Senior Analyst at Abt Associates, where she consulted for EPA, CDC, and several non-profit organizations on a variety of environmental health topics. Outside of school, she enjoys getting outdoors, trying new recipes, doing crosswords, and fostering pit bulls.

Beth Riess, MHS – DrPH Student – Beth is a DrPH student in the Department of Environmental Health and Engineering at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. Her dissertation research will focus on dietary exposure to endocrine disrupting chemical mixtures. Prior to earning her MHS from JHSPH, Beth was a product developer in the flavor and beverage industry, which fueled her interest in food additive safety issues, dietary risk assessment, and regulatory oversight of the food industry. After receiving her master’s degree, she worked on cumulative risk assessment methods at EPA, and food safety oversight issues including harmonization of root cause analysis methods across the food industry at the Pew Charitable Trusts. She currently works on projects employing benefits assessment, cumulative risk and impact assessment, and systematic evidence evaluation for state and federal clients at Abt Associates. Her free time is filled with cooking and piano playing, and she occasionally manages to read for pleasure.

Neva Jacobs, MSPH, CIH – DrPH Student (ORCID) – Neva is a DrPH candidate in the Department of Environmental Health and Engineering at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. She also earned an MSPH in Industrial Hygiene from Johns Hopkins University, as well as a BA in Environmental Science from Colorado College. She is certified as an industrial hygienist (CIH) by the American Board of Industrial Hygiene, and also holds a certificate in Risk Sciences and Public Policy from the Johns Hopkins Risk Sciences and Public Policy Institute and a certificate in Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point (HACCP) planning. She serves as a volunteer for the National Occupational Research Agenda (NORA) Agriculture, Forestry, and Fishing Sector Council and as a member of the American Industrial Hygiene Association Back to Work Safely COVID-19 Task Force. Her research interests include evaluating human health risks associated with the food system and with consumer products. She currently works for Cardno ChemRisk where she performs risk and exposure assessments of chemical and physical hazards faced by workers and the general public. Recently, she completed projects where she evaluated the health risk associated with glyphosate residues on foods, quantified asbestos exposures from historical construction materials, measured noise exposures in non-industrial settings using a traditional dosimeter and a smartphone app, and provided guidance to meal kit manufacturers on how to minimize food safety risk. Outside of work, she enjoys bike riding, traveling, and making wheel-thrown pottery.

Aimee Bourey – PhD Student – Aimee is a first year PhD student in the Environmental Health and Engineering Department at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. She studied biochemistry and genetics in her bachelor’s degree at Texas A&M University. Prior to starting her graduate program, Aimee worked in the Land and Water Division of the Food and Agriculture Organization, where she became enamored with food systems research.  Aimee’s thesis focuses on characterizing antibiotic use in agriculture driven by demand for goods with embedded antibiotic use. Outside of coursework, Aimee enjoys hiking with her dog, playing violin, and board games.

Qinfan Lv – ScM Student – Qinfan is a second-year ScM student in the the Department of Environmental Health and Engineering at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. She is originally from Zhejiang, China, and focused on the mechanism of wetlands during undergraduate years. Qinfan’s interested in research on more accurate risk estimates as well as innovative methods for soil ingestion. Outside of classes, she enjoys traveling with friends and taking pictures.

Iman Habib – ScM Student (LinkedIn) – Iman is a first-year ScM student in the Environmental Health and Engineering program at the Bloomberg School of Public Health. Before coming to Hopkins, Iman studied Environmental Studies at the University of Pittsburgh, where she served as a Chemistry II, Analytical Chemistry, and Sustainability UTA. At Pitt, she worked on an initiative to contribute to the university’s Sustainability Plan by (1) pushing for the placement of Reverse Vending Machines on campus and (2) working with the Interfraternity Council to create a Sustainability Chair position. She also served as the co-lead Youth Climate Advisory Committee Leader at the Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens to oversee three projects that worked with climate education, food systems, and sustainable fashion. Iman’s research interests include environmental justice and working with communities disproportionately affected by environmental phenomena. Through the INGEST project, Iman hopes to characterize lifestage and developmental milestones by assessing soil and dust ingestion data. Outside of academia, Iman enjoys painting, producing music, and running.

Elizabeth Chatpar – ScM Student – Elizabeth is a first year ScM student in Environmental Health at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. She studied Earth & Planetary Sciences, East Asian Studies and Medicine, Science and the Humanities at Johns Hopkins University as an undergraduate. Prior to starting at Bloomberg, Elizabeth worked as a research assistant for the Johns Hopkins Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, where she studied Vibrio cholerae incidence in the Chesapeake Bay. Recently, Elizabeth worked on a scoping review on the impact of COVID-19 on fisheries through the Center for a Livable Future and UN Food and Agriculture Organization. Her research interests include improving accuracy of risk assessment, time-activity factors and environmental justice. In her free time, Elizabeth enjoys spending time outside with her dog, baking and running. 

Awura “Mimi” Asamoah-Mensah – MHS Student – (LinkedIn) Mimi is a senior at Johns Hopkins University double majoring in public health and Spanish. She is an incoming Master’s of Health Science student in the Department of Environmental Health and Engineering at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. Mimi serves as lead research assistant for the Donor App, a living donation initiative started at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine. She is also a member of the Hopkins Early Neurodevelopmental Lab. One of her favorite studies she has worked on was COVID-19 Antibody Testing of Recipients of Solid Organ Transplants and Patients with Chronic Diseases. She is currently working on the INGEST study, as well as another study focused on cognitive function and delirium in post-op liver transplant recipients. Her research interests include transplants, neo-natal and child development, toxicology, and epigenetics. Besides school and research, Mimi loves looking at art, learning new languages, and playing the Wordle exactly at 12 A.M. 

Maria Cubilas – Research Assistant – Maria is currently doing her MHS in Environmental Health and Engineering at Johns Hopkins. Before coming to Hopkins, Maria got her bachelor degrees at the University of Arizona in molecular and cellular biology, with a minor in biochemistry, and Spanish, with an emphasis in Portuguese. Maria is very interested in occupational and prenatal exposures, and hopes to do research in those topics in the future. Outside of studying, Maria likes to hike, thrift, learn new languages and relax.